RECENT RESEARCH
abscess without the need of any surgical procedures .
Ved M , Bhasme A , Malvade S . Cervical Spondylosis Managed With Homoeopathy : A Case Report . Altern Ther Health Med . 2022 ; 28 ( 7 ): 184-187 . PMID : 35951064
Context : Cervical spondylosis ( CS ) is a chronic degenerative condition that presents with chronic neck pain and stiffness with radiation of pain to the occiput or upper limbs and a sensation of numbness or tingling . Conservative treatment only provides short term relief .
Objective : This case was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of individualised homoeopathy in the management of CS .
Methods : A 39-year-old female patient was treated in the outpatient dept at Dr . D . Y . Patil homoeopathic medical college and research centre with the complaint of neck pain with stiffness . Radiological findings revealed the diagnosis of cervical spondylosis . Individualised homoeopathic medicine was selected after detailed case taking . ' Modified naranjo criteria ' were used to assess the effect of homoeopathic medicine .
Result : Homoeopathic medicine silicea terra was prescribed and found to be effective in this case .
Conclusion : Further studies can be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of individualised homoeopathic medicine in the management of cervical spondylosis .
Lifestyle medicine
Lin J , Gao Y , Guo Y , Li M , Zhu Y , You R , Chen S , Wang S . Effects of qigong exercise on the physical and mental health of college students : a systematic review and Metaanalysis . BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies . 2022 ; 22 , Article number : 287
Background : Physical and mental health problems are becoming more serious among college students due to lifestyle changes and increased academic stress .
Qigong exercise has been regarded as a potentially effective intervention to improve the physical and mental health of college students .
Methods : Eleven databases were searched from their respective inception dates to April 2022 . Relevant randomized controlled trials ( RCTs ) were included . Physical and psychological conditions , including limb muscle strength , flexibility , cardiorespiratory endurance , vital capacity , blood pressure and heart rate , as well as depression , anxiety and mood , were evaluated . The risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration tool .
Results : Sixteen randomized controlled trials were included in the metaanalysis . Significant improvements in cardiorespiratory endurance ( MD = 3.83 , 95 % CI : 0.99 to 6.67 , P = 0.008 ) and flexibility ( MD = 3.01 , 95 % CI : 1.21 to 4.81 , P = 0.001 ) were observed . We also observed that Qigong exercise significantly reduced depression and anxiety symptoms ( SMD = -0.89 , 95 % CI : -1.17 to -0.61 , P < 0.00001 ; SMD = - 0.78 , 95 % CI : -1.31 to -0.25 , P = 0.004 ). Nevertheless , no significant effects on muscle strength , vital capacity , blood pressure , heart rate or mood were found .
Conclusion : Qigong exercise was advantageous for college students in terms of improving flexibility and cardiorespiratory endurance and alleviating depression and anxiety to some extent . However , due to the limited number of eligible trials and the low methodological quality , more welldesigned RCTs are needed in the future .
Makarem N , Castro-Diehl C , St-Onge M-P , Redline S , Shea S , Lloyd-Jones D , et al . Redefining Cardiovascular Health to Include Sleep : Prospective Associations With Cardiovascular Disease in the MESA Sleep Study . Journal of the American Heart Association . 2022 ; 11 : e025252
Background : Although sufficient and healthy sleep is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) and its risk factors , the American Heart
Association ' s Life ' s Simple 7 ( LS7 ), as a measure of cardiovascular health ( CVH ), did not include sleep . We evaluated an expanded measure of CVH that includes sleep as an eighth metric in relation to CVD risk .
Methods and Results : The analytic sample consisted of MESA ( Multi‐ Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis ) Sleep Study participants who had complete data on sleep characteristics from overnight polysomnography , 7‐day wrist actigraphy , validated questionnaires , and the outcome . We computed the LS7 score and 4 iterations of a new CVH score : score 1 included sleep duration , score 2 included sleep characteristics linked to CVD in the literature ( sleep duration , insomnia , daytime sleepiness , and obstructive sleep apnea ), scores 3 and 4 included sleep characteristics associated with CVD in MESA ( score 3 : sleep duration and efficiency , daytime sleepiness , and obstructive sleep apnea ; score 4 : score 3 + sleep regularity ). Multivariable‐adjusted logistic and Cox proportional hazards models evaluated associations of the LS7 and CVH scores 1 to 4 with CVD prevalence and incidence . Among 1920 participants ( mean age : 69 ± 9 years ; 54 % female ), there were 95 prevalent CVD events and 93 incident cases ( mean follow‐up , 4.4 years ). Those in the highest versus lowest tertile of the LS7 score and CVH scores 1 to 4 had up to 80 % lower odds of prevalent CVD . The LS7 score was not significantly associated with CVD incidence ( hazard ratio , 0.62 [ 95 % CI , 0.37 – 1.04 ]). Those in the highest versus lowest tertile of CVH score 1 , which included sleep duration , and CVH score 4 , which included multidimensional sleep health , had 43 % and 47 % lower incident CVD risk ( hazard ratio , 0.57 [ 95 % CI , 0.33 – 0.97 ]; and hazard ratio , 0.53 [ 95 % CI , 0.32 – 0.89 ]), respectively .
Conclusions : CVH scores that include sleep health predicted CVD risk in older US adults . The incorporation of sleep as a CVH metric , akin to other health behaviors , may enhance CVD primordial and primary prevention efforts . Findings warrant confirmation in larger cohorts over longer follow‐up .
230 | vol28 | no4 | JATMS